Black People with Naturally Blonde Hair

Hair is simply amazing. The human body and the mechanisms by which it adapts to its environment are mind boggling, and our hair color, texture, porosity and everything else plays a massive part in how well we succeed in a particular environment (or at least it did before we started living in these air conditioned covered boxes).

We all love and nourish our hair, but it’s so easy to forget just how magical these dead cells growing from out of our scalp really are.

Enter the Melanesians, a native group of people living on the Soloman Islands northeast of Australia famous for their beautiful dark skin and naturally blonde hair. Yep, that’s right. They don’t sport weaves, wigs, extensions, permanent dye, temporary dye, some weird henna reaction, or whatever else anyone uses to get the blonde look that’s so typical of the caucasian persuasion. Ten percent of these islanders actually come by it naturally.

The odd combination has got scientists wondering about how such a color combo develops over time. According to the Global Financial Newswires, many scientists have long thought that their blonde hair was a result of a diet high in fish, perhaps bleaching by the sun and salt water, or a reminder of the island’s historic relations with people of European descent.

In fact, the blonde Melanesians have blonde that is unique solely to them. According to the study in which scientists compared 43 blonde hair islanders to 42 dark hair islanders, blonde Melanesians have a variant of a native gene called TYRP1 that plays an important role in the melanin biosynthetic pathway. This variant is completely separate from what causes blonde hair in Europeans, and doesn’t even exist in the European genetic set.

What’s truly beautiful in this fascinating discovery, as so perfectly stated by the study author Sean Myles, a geneticist at Nova Scotia Agricultural College, is that “it’s a great example of convergent evolution, where the same outcome is brought about by completely different means.”

And that makes hair of all textures, types and colors absolutely unique and absolutely beautiful.

You’re right! I do have a lot of time on my hands today. That’s the only time when I can post here. When I don’t have time on my hands, you don’t see me. 🙂 Seriously though, I think it’s rude for someone to say something to me and then have me completely ignore their remark. If a fellow woman of color takes the time to write something to me, I’m going to pay her the same respect by responding to it. I love conversing with the women here. I don’t even see it as an argument. It’s just hashing… Read more »

Hey, Much love to all the people who take the time to comment on this site, I enjoy your opinions a great deal! I have to say I think you are being a little unfair to bint alshamsa. Her responses are snooty but ultimately based in truth. I too am from a scientific background (no, seriously) and she is right in saying that the adorable child in the article is Asian. Black is a term that outside the western world subverts the very individual identities of dark skinned people all around the world! Whilst seeing a dark skinned person with… Read more »

Great post! Convergent genetics is something that I am extremely interested in! And, this genetic trait is not linked to any Europeanized strain of genetics which is what makes it so significant and worthy of study. It’s new, a completely unique. It might be on many different sights, and this platform could very well have similar information to others….but it doesn’t change the fact that negativity, whether thought or spoken, is best neither. Rock on BGLH 🙂

Love you and accept you as my sistah as you are so please be encouraged to know that all of us are not as ignorant as some you have already met. I think you bring up another great point about genetics, that the article was trying to make, that what we see (i.e. blond hair, fair skin, lighter eyes) all of it is based on genetics, by simply looking at a person you can not tell what that might be, whether due to albinism or the gene listed in the article, etc. It always saddens me to hear when people… Read more »

I sort of understand where you’re coming from although you seem to have misinterpreted the actual article…it literally states dark skin with blonde hair….most people are familiar with the albinism and what generally is associated with that. Once again I repeat, the article at no point says black or african with blond hair but rather dark skin with blond hair.

Unfortunately, I think that shadism and ableism may play a role in this. It’s even evident in this comment section. People perceived as outside of the enforced norms are mostly disregarded. I face it all of the time as a PWD.

Well, even if no one else says it:

My sister, in my eyes, you are a beautiful blonde Black woman. I have seen many other sisters like you in my years on this earth, but your smile definitely makes you one of the prettiest.

In Nigeria, most people I know with albinism have superhero 4c+++ hair and their hair is always thirsty.So I assume moisturizing is a top priority.

I have a lot of people in my sister’s family by marriage with reddish hair and lots of freckles all over their bodies.Ranging from light skinned to deep brown with red tones, with hair from strawberry blond to orange/red hair and light brown hair with red tones.My classmate,blended color 33 in weaves and wigs perfectly with her relaxed hair.

Side Note – BLACK: interesting conversation about the word “Black”; I’ve always used African-American to talk about my nationality and black to talk about my race, which I’ve defined as being connected to all dark-skinned people around the world and/or peoples recently decently from Africa. In that case, I would include the Aborigines as black. But I’m also educated enough to know that race is constructed and highly subjective. It’s obvious that the aborigines have different traits and genes than other dark-skinned people around the world; very unique people who have experienced a lot of oppression like the natives in… Read more »

THE HMONG GUY IS CLEARLY CHINESE. JUST BECAUSE PEOPLE WANT TO BE DIFFERENT DOESNT GIVE THEM THE RIGHT TO DISRESPECT THEIR RACE. A LOT OF PEOPLE GET CULTURE CONFUSED WITH RACE. EVERYONE COMES FROM VARIOUS TYPES OF CULTURES HOWEVER, EVERYONE HAS A SPECIFIC RACE. WHETHER THEY LIKE IT OR NOT. JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE IS FROM JAMAICA, DOESNT MEAN THEY ARE DIFFERENT FROM THEIR BLACK RACE. IT JUST MEANS THAT THIER CULTURE IS DIFFERENT. THEY ARE ALL DESCENDENTS FROM AFRICA. WE NEED TO GET IT THROUGH OUR HEADS. WHITE PEOPLE HAVE NO PROBLEM CLAIMING WHOEVER THEY WANT….

THE HMONG GUY IS CLEARLY CHINESE. JUST BECAUSE PEOPLE WANT TO BE DIFFERENT DOESNT GIVE THEM THE RIGHT TO DISRESPECT THEIR RACE. A LOT OF PEOPLE GET CULTURE CONFUSED WITH RACE. EVERYONE COMES FROM VARIOUS TYPES OF CULTURES HOWEVER, EVERYONE HAS A SPECIFIC RACE. WHETHER THEY LIKE IT OR NOT. JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE IS FROM JAMAICA, DOESNT MEAN THEY ARE DIFFERENT FROM THEIR BLACK RACE. IT JUST MEANS THAT THIER CULTURE IS DIFFERENT. THEY ARE ALL DESCENDENTS FROM AFRICA. WE NEED TO GET IT THROUGH OUR HEADS. WHITE PEOPLE HAVE NO PROBLEM CLAIMING WHOEVER THEY WANT. PERIOD

aibridges, I’m with you on that. These people are still fighting to preserve their identity in their own lands. It’s not ethical for anyone to just erase that by deciding that they are not who they say they are. Black people in the USA are still dealing with that kind of oppressive attitude. Look at how people have tried to decide what folks like Mariah Carey and Tiger Woods have a right to call themselves. I think we should let folks be who they are without trying to apply our preferred labels to them. I went to college with this… Read more »

THE HMONG GUY IS CLEARLY CHINESE. JUST BECAUSE PEOPLE WANT TO BE DIFFERENT DOESNT GIVE THEM THE RIGHT TO DISRESPECT THEIR RACE. A LOT OF PEOPLE GET CULTURE CONFUSED WITH RACE. EVERYONE COMES FROM VARIOUS TYPES OF CULTURES HOWEVER, EVERYONE HAS A SPECIFIC RACE. WHETHER THEY LIKE IT OR NOT. JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE IS FROM JAMAICA, DOESNT MEAN THEY ARE DIFFERENT FROM THEIR BLACK RACE. IT JUST MEANS THAT THIER CULTURE IS DIFFERENT. THEY ARE ALL DESCENDENTS FROM AFRICA. WE NEED TO GET IT THROUGH OUR HEADS. WHITE PEOPLE HAVE NO PROBLEM CLAIMING WHOEVER THEY WANT.

I think you bring an interesting perspective to the conversation! I believe that some commenters would rather focus on the enthralling aspect of blacks with naturally blonde hair, especially since many people would swear there wasn’t such a thing and that the combination is crazy. What I took from this is that no one is “required” to look a certain way based on their racial background; genetics is in a sense unpredictable, and the diversity that results is remarkable. I could be wrong. This whole conversation to me is very thought-provoking.

I could die happy, if I could study genetics for the rest of my life. That and linguistics are my favorite subjects. That’s probably because they’re kind of related. The diversity really is remarkable to me, too! Being born and raised in a port city (New Orleans), I grew up around people with all kinds of backgrounds. I have seen some folks that I wouldn’t know how to even begin to figure out where they came from. I’ve met women down here who were Austrian-Egyptian, Black Japanese, Black Vietnamese, Cajun-Black Puerto Rican, and all kinds of other folks who identified… Read more »

JUST BECAUSE A CERTAIN GROUP OF PEOPLE DECIDE THAT THEY DONT WANT TO BE BLACK, DOESNT MEAN THAT THEY ARE NOT. CREOLE PEOPLE ARE MIXED BUT DEFINATELY BLACK. THIS KID IN THE PIC MAY BE MIXED BUT IS DEFINATELY BLACK. NOT PURE ASIAN. I AM 100% SURE THAT THIS KID HAS AFRICAN ANCESTRY. I WOULD LOVE FOR THEM TO DO A DNA TEST. OUR SOCIETY HATES BLACK PEOPLE SO PEOPLE FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD HAVE THE SAME IGNORANT MIND-SETS AS CAUCASIONS. THEY WANT TO BE ANYTHING BUT BLACK, SO THEY HOLD ON TO NAMES AND CULTURE LIKE CREOLE,… Read more »

I’m creole, and proud of it. When I’m asked what I am, I say Creole, nectar that is what I an. I’m not ashamed that I’m black, but I’m also proud of the mixture that I am, which includes black, as well as other things. All of it is me. When someone asks what Creole is, I tell them. But me saying “black” and nothing else would be inaccurate, just as much as me saying”french” or “indian” and not acknowledging black would be inaccurate. If I were t say I was “french” u would have a problem with it, but… Read more »

I would call the malenesian child black because he or she has dark skin. I would call the light skinned cute kid with blond hair and green eyes white because he has white skin. It is rather ridiculous to call the lighter skinned boy black and the darker skinned child not black.

So, are people from India Black, too? Many of them are darker than the average Black person. Are you really going to claim that people who don’t have the traits you approve of aren’t Black? Really? This site tends to be far too savvy for shadism. The Melanesian child is Melanesian. Did you notice the ending on that term? Doesn’t it sound familiar? Indian Polynesian Micronesian What do all of these groups have in common? They’re Asian. Dark skin does not make one Black, just like light skin does not make one white. One would think that with the history… Read more »

If the sperm that fertilised the egg is from a white man’s balls the child is not black but mixed raced. If a sperm leaves a black man’s ball and fertilises a white woman’s egg the child is also not black but also mixed raced. Such children can choose one or both races as their parents are from different races.

race is a marvellous thing isnt it?
Its worth knowing, that although these people notably from solomon islands and malenesia may appear to be similar to those from sub saharan africa, their genetic distance is the largest. Meaning, those who have ancestors from sub saharan africa, are more closely related to a caucasion than to a malenesian.
as I said, the human race is marvellous.

To me it.s nothing strange when my daughter was born she had blond hair along the hair line of her head she’s black but her skin is very light not brown like mine and when I was a child me and my little sister had that light dirty blond hair and as we got older it got darker and darker I also have other people in my family that was also born with blond hair and red hair too

Granted in America you wont see many dark skinned people with naturally light(blond)hair, if any. Yes you will find aborigines(Australasia’s native people) with blond hair. But its not limited to that. I’m not socked because I’ve seen it before. I think I am the only black person that i know with dark skinned(i mean darker than dark chocolate)relatives with blue eyes. Keep in mind Europeans have been screwing everyone every where. A person’s skin complexion shouldn’t makes it strange for someone’s hair or eye color to be different. Aborigines are not black, they simply have dark skin, same as East… Read more »

What gives you the right to tell Aborigines that they are not Black? Are you the Black gatekeeper?

If you watch movies, i.e., Rabbit Proof Fence, you will see that they were called Black by White Australians. And treated in the same manner as African Americans — bigotry, oppression, forced segregation, etc.

If an Aborigines person wanted to identify as Black, he/she has every right to do so.

LoL, I have no clue why but “Europeans have been screwing everybody every where” made me giggle (maybe cause it’s true). But I agree with you and I know a few other black people with blue eyes (this one guy at my school had silver eyes and they were his eyes but that might have been a mutation.) I myself have fairly light hair, it’s not blonde, but before I started hennaing, a lot of people would ask me if I dyed my hair (they ask me that now, but the red is due to henna). But, I agree complexion… Read more »

Guess you didn’t see the drama that ensued in the comments when this was posted on Curly Nikki. lol

Anyway, I think it’s great for people to see how varied human beings of any “race” can be as far as looks and that a lot of what our society wrongly tells us are “white” genetic traits only simply aren’t.

What the real point here is that it doesn’t necessarily matter what race or mix of races you are, genetics are completely underestimated and not even close to being understood. And hair types and colours, while they have been predominately assigned to certain races and peoples, they are not confined to these restraints. And what the “big deal” is, while your nephew most likely has several variant mixes within his gene pool, which has resulted in his fair skin and hair. These people have an entirely different genes that creates this unique type of blonde hair. Some people need to… Read more »

We all have several mixes in our gene pool. That’s what makes it a gene pool. These people don’t have entirely different genes. They simply have different genes for blond hair from the genes that most European blonds possess. That doesn’t make them Black. They are Asian. They share more genes in common with Asians than with Black people. I wish people would open their minds a little, too. Instead of getting upset when someone explains the science behind the phenomena. Of course, Black people can have blond hair. That was the point of posting my nephew’s picture. “Black” is… Read more »

Wait, are you just plain incapable of thought. YES THEY DO have a unique gene. Did you read any of the research. THAT IS WHAT A POLYMORPHISM IS…when a genetic mutation takes place in enough people for it to be recognized. HOW the hell did you get a degree in biology? I’m so confused right now.

With all do respect, seeing that you are an expert in genetics, I myself have traveled the world. I am not saying that I am an expert in sociology or anthropology or genetics but I can easily adapt to other cultures. Being very multiracial sometimes people cannot tell what I am. It has been assumed that I am Asian, Indian, Latina, etc. I have friends around the world of different races and religions. I have been able to hear people’s perspectives first hand. One thing I can tell you is that “black” people are most certainly recognized outside of Western… Read more »

They are not Asians they are Oceanians, if you look at a map it’s closer to Australia and New Zealand than the vast continent Asia. Oceania is a group of Islands Micronesia, Polynesia and Melanesia. So why you would want to call them Asian makes no sense, people with dark skin are called black in many different languages, it’s not just a social construct it’s also a tone used to describe.

Did you look at the link I posted? They are Asian. Micronesians, Polynesians, and Melanesians are all Asian. People with dark skin are called myriad different things in different languages; many of those words have nothing to do with their color. The use of the term “Black” as a reference to people is a social construct. It doesn’t matter what your skin color is. Did you see the sister in the thread with albinism who was talking about how alienating this article was because it denied her Blackness? In the rush to call these Melanesians something other than what they… Read more »

The lady who brought albinism made a very good point and I would love an article on that. But the difference is the gene TYRP1 also causes albinism but the interesting thing about this group of people is it only manifests in their hair. I’m a maths and figures girl and this fascinates me so I don’t get why you as a scientist cannot appreciate the significance. This whole Asian thing is ridiculous not only do people use this broad statement to refer to Chinese, Indian and Filipino people, now you want to through Oceanians into the mix too. You… Read more »

Meet a molenisian or an aboriginal person they refer to themselves as black first in a non-derogatory way long before europeans decided to pull the racism card. And what you have stated here is that black is a social construct meaning that molenisians you are saying can be black…i don’t think anyone at any point referred to them as native to africa, i.e. african…as you’ve stated before being black and being african are very different things.

I think that people are willing to open their minds hence the response that most of the commenters had to the article. I think it is great you have a background in genetics but everyone does not. It is also great that this isn’t surprising to you because of your education and the makeup of your family but I would contend that most Black people are not used to seeing people who have darker skin (that they describe as black) having naturally blonde hair. I don’t think it is a case that people don’t want to learn but your tone… Read more »

Yes we all have different gene pools, but in this case they do have a different gene called TYRP1, that is unlike the gene causing blonde hair in europeans. It says in the article. And besides my education in biology in high school. I have never studied anything in genetics. And if I come off as abrasive, its only because I am upset that she didn’t seam to approach the article with an open mind. This was the first time I have read such an article on this topic, and my reaction like majority of the people on this site… Read more »

That’s why I asked why this was a big deal to others. I’m not sure why folks thought that I wasn’t seriously asking the question. I keep saying that my background probably plays a role in why I don’t see this as others do, but some folks seem to take that as calling them stupid. I have yet to refer to a single individual in that way and I won’t. I don’t talk to fellow women of color in that way. However, I did think it was really abrasive for someone to try to dictate that my nephew is white… Read more »

@bint alshamsa, I find it very odd with your background in genetics that you don’t find this interesting. It’s not the issue of them being black. It’s the unique combination of this particular phenotype produced by a different variant from that found in Europeans that results in what we perceive as a black person with blonde hair. I study psychiatric genetics and happen to think it’s fascinating to see a phenomenon where two different combinations of genes produce the same phenotype. I mean some people know it happens; it’s just nice to see examples. Not to mention, nothing in your… Read more »

I don’t find the idea of black people having blond hair interesting. However, I do find the study VERY interesting. When I first saw the title of the post, I thought it was going to be about Black people. It was a bit deflating to find out that this had nothing to do with black people. I wish that it did. That could have led to a very interesting conversation about diversity among black folks and how hair color and other features have affected people’s self-identification as black. I only mentioned my background in genetics when someone told me that… Read more »

A few years ago I was reading about the ‘phenomenon of black people with blonde hair or blue eyes. I read that the gene for skin colour, hair colour and eye colour are different, so we shouldn’t be surprised when we get uncommon combinations.

I’ve seen the Melanesians on TV before, but no one talked about the unique hair color. Some of them had big curly blonde or red afros. I also noticed in this picture at least 3 different hair textures. I think they’re beautiful people.

Wow! This is so enthralling. Beauty truly is diverse and indivisible. This also makes me question the women who insist that black people “don’t look good” with blonde hair because it’s “unnatural” on them. Hm. The pic with this article is simply mezmerizing to me.

I’m one of those people who says that blonde hair doesn’t look good on black women, however, when I am aware that many brown skinned people have blonde hair, but when brown people are born with blonde hair, their other features usually blend with their hair color well.

Co-sign. Mama Diddy still doesn’t get a pass from me, and Mary J. and NeNe are skirting the edge of losing theirs… 😉 I know people with naturally blonde hair who identify as black even though (LIKE MOST AFRICAN DIASPORANS) they’re mixed with European. In one friend’s case, they’ve been race-mixing for generations and that’s why her whole family looks like slightly suntanned Scandinavians with frizzy hair. But they’ll fight you if you suggest they’re not black. This gets back to how one chooses to identify…you can be half-white or even 15/16ths white (Google “Walter White NAACP”) and still identify… Read more »

I’m guilty as charged! It’s funny, I was taken aback at first glance of the posted picture. I was thinking,(who put that lace front on that baby?)lol. Hey we learn something new everyday. This was an informative piece. Just the other day, I was criticizing a certain R&B singer, because I wasn’t too impressed with the platinum blonde wig she was wearing for the cover of some magazine. Then I thought to each its own. I just don’t like the idea of my young nieces being influenced by these pop icons and what this society deems as beautiful in any… Read more »

Hehe! We all do. We’re so accustomed to seeing black women with dark hair that it’s easy to label blonde hair on blacks “unnatural.” That’s why I don’t wanna hear anyone criticize a black woman for dyeing her hair blonde and using race insecurity as the basis…heck, we can rock it too (and in cases like this one, naturally).

What’s the big deal? There are black people with naturally blonde hair all around the world. I could post several pictures of folks in my family who have it. What’s next? Articles about the fact that some Black people have naturally light skin, too?

The photo is of my nephew. Along with his blond hair, he also has green eyes.
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He’s gorgeous btw (nephew)y fiancé and I are both dark and Our daughter was born light skin with hazel eyes and sandy blonde hair black people come on all different shades to find this fascinating is just plain ignorant

I agree, Danyella. Dark skinned people give birth to light-skinned children all of the time. It ain’t that amazing, folks! Black people are every shade from midnight to past-white. I just don’t get the fascination that so many of our people have with any feature that white people have. There are folks who think that Black people with naturally straight hair is really something to be impressed about. Others are quick to get enthralled when they see Black people with anything other than brown eyes. It’s 2012. Everybody here has access to the internet. If you’ve never seen something and… Read more »

We are used to having blond hair that are really traits passed from some European ancestor. I’m black and I grew with two large patches of blond at my temples.

The real issue (that the article probably wasn’t able to bring out) is that the blonde hair gene identified in the people on Solomon Islands is a NON-EUROPEAN gene, so these people have blonde hair but with no European ancestry whatsoever. This gene and their particular traits and characteristics evolved independently.

I actually find what you’re saying very interesting. I don’t know why you had to make your first comment so condescending though.

Its a big deal to some people because they have never seen people like this. And since you were able to study genetics its not a shock. You had an opportunity to share your knowledge respectfully to many of us that don’t have a great understanding. It was really unnecessary to come here insult the content of the blog and the people that commented.

THE HMONG GUY IS CLEARLY CHINESE. JUST BECAUSE PEOPLE WANT TO BE DIFFERENT DOESNT GIVE THEM THE RIGHT TO DISRESPECT THEIR RACE. A LOT OF PEOPLE GET CULTURE CONFUSED WITH RACE. EVERYONE COMES FROM VARIOUS TYPES OF CULTURES HOWEVER, EVERYONE HAS A SPECIFIC RACE. WHETHER THEY LIKE IT OR NOT. JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE IS FROM JAMAICA, DOESNT MEAN THEY ARE DIFFERENT FROM THEIR BLACK RACE. IT JUST MEANS THAT THIER CULTURE IS DIFFERENT. THEY ARE ALL DESCENDENTS FROM AFRICA. WE NEED TO GET IT THROUGH OUR HEADS. WHITE PEOPLE HAVE NO PROBLEM CLAIMING WHOEVER THEY WANT…..

I have a hard time writing in friendly English while I’m working. I’ve explained that here quite a few times. When I’m on my computer, I’m usually doing translation work. That means I’m switching back and forth from other languages to English. I’m also disabled and that can play a role in how I think I sound versus how it actually sounds to others. I wish folks wouldn’t just assume that someone is being condescending when it really may be something else at work. I did have a chance to learn genetic and others haven’t had that chance (or, perhaps,… Read more »

I appreciate the knowledge that you offered here today. I know the topic of race and race identification can be a touchy subject for some. I do have to admit that it has always boggled my mind (that we, as descendants of the Africans that were brought to this country to be slaves and as a result, robbed of our culture have settled for just being called black). We have an identity too and until someone can point to the country or continent on the globe and show me a place called “Black”, I’ll never understand how we as a… Read more »

You need to check yourself before your wreck yourself!
What was it that ‘forced’ you to react so negatively on this post, when you can clearly see that that nephew of yours doesn’t remotely resemble the Melanesians? You can’t even compare them given their distinct heritage! If you don’t know about these people read about them before you react! School yourself please….SMH

Please school yourself, Loraine. The kid in that photo is Blacker than those Melanesians. Do you know anything about their genetic heritage? If you did, and you understood that “Black” is a Western social construct that loses its meaning outside of the Western world, then you’d realize why it’s ridiculous to call these folks Black.

If you can’t handle science, then why are you reading an article about genetics?

Well, for a ‘scientist’ you are pretty lousy at reacting in a proper manner or even explaining your point properly! Your first comment on the article had a condescending tone to it. Hence my question what forced you to react so negatively. Why the need to put up a picture of your nephew along with harsh comments? When I pointed out that you can’t compare your nephew to this child because of their distinct heritage I was referring to the genes they inherited from their ancestors. For it is clear that the mutation causing blondeness in Melanesians can’t be found… Read more »

I UNDERSTAND WHAT BINT ALSHAMSA IS SAYING HOWEVER I DISAGREE. THERE ARE PLENTY OF PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD WHO ARE BLACK. YES BLACK. THERE ARE ASIANS WHO HAVE AFRICAN HERITAGE. LATINO’S HAVE AFRICAN HERITAGE. SO PLEASE STOP TRYING TO MAKE BLACK PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE NO CONNECTION TO OTHER PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. THERE ARE PLENTY OF LATINO’S AND ASIANS WHO THINK THEY ARE MORE WHITE THAN ANYTHING ELSE. THAT IS INCORRECT IN MANY CASES. BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL AND I AM CLAIMING THAT CHILD IN THE PIC

Have you ever seen the movie Austrailia with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman or know anything of what actually occured in Austrailia, a very western country? If you had I’d think you have a little more insight into these people and very closely related groups…aboriginal people and related types were discriminated against in and around Austrailia, an individual of this group was referred to as a Black. You’re splitting hairs is like telling a Somali that they are not in fact black because they are a mix of arabian and italian etc blood. I don’t think anyone sits around to… Read more »

Furthermore, it is thinking like yours that for years, made it impossible for my dad to check the box labeled afro-latino. Is my father not latin because he is black? Her skin is very much what we consider black in a very different way than Malaysians, Indians, and cambodians are dark.

I am, in fact, a professor of biology, specializing in human genetics. Thank you for speaking on my behalf, and the behalf of all genetic researchers, but I do actually find this news of genetic interest. The key point is that the mutation causing blondeness in Melanesians is unique to that population alone. Whereas, the genetic variants causing blondeness in your nephew is most likely the same as those found in Europe. The two types of blondeness genetic variants have different recent common ancestors.

I am confused why any scientist would thank another scientist for speaking on behalf of a whole group. Do genetic scientist not disagree on concepts. This is just crazy to me, I really would like to know where they do that at, because the reason why we have scientific journals is to check each other’s logic and critique the quality of the work and conclusions, so why would anyone thank any individual “researcher” for speaking on behalf of a whole group, except for the organization set up to represent your group, any statements represent the individuals view and not that… Read more »

THE HMONG GUY IS CLEARLY CHINESE. JUST BECAUSE PEOPLE WANT TO BE DIFFERENT DOESNT GIVE THEM THE RIGHT TO DISRESPECT THEIR RACE. A LOT OF PEOPLE GET CULTURE CONFUSED WITH RACE. EVERYONE COMES FROM VARIOUS TYPES OF CULTURES HOWEVER, EVERYONE HAS A SPECIFIC RACE. WHETHER THEY LIKE IT OR NOT. JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE IS FROM JAMAICA, DOESNT MEAN THEY ARE DIFFERENT FROM THEIR BLACK RACE. IT JUST MEANS THAT THIER CULTURE IS DIFFERENT. THEY ARE ALL DESCENDENTS FROM AFRICA. WE NEED TO GET IT THROUGH OUR HEADS. WHITE PEOPLE HAVE NO PROBLEM CLAIMING WHOEVER THEY WANT……

That’s exactly what I said further down. My nephew is from an American family that is most often identified as Black. Even though he has features some associate with whiteness, it is still more accurate to call him Black, than it is to claim that a Melanesian is Black.

Your nepehew is adorable! However, besides what has already been said the scientific interest comes from the fact that it is such a common trait in a very specific geographic area. Yet, outside of that region it is not so common on top of the fact that they actually found a gene unique to this group of people in this area and it is a completely different gene than would normally be responsible for such a trait. like it might be scientifically interesting to study if there was an island filled with white people with kinky/coily fluffy hair. Certainly, there… Read more »

oops let me be specific…I meant I enjoyed afrokisses comment, not yours bint alshamsa, I’m actually confused by what you’re saying. You ask in your first comment “what’s the big deal” and when people tell you why it’s a big deal to them, you tell them they don’t know what they’re talking about b/c they are not a genetics researcher.

No, that’s not why they don’t know what they’re talking about. They simply haven’t learned this stuff. That’s why I pointed out that you don’t even have to study genetics to learn this. It’s just basic biology. Unfortunately, not everyone has a good understanding of the subject.

I’ll make what I’m saying clearer:

These folks are Asians, not Black. Scientists aren’t studying Melanesians because they think that Black people with blond hair is something novel.

Wait a damn minute the term black is a social construct and HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH GENETICS!!!!!! Are you serious, you are not a scientist at all. I would bet my own damn degree on that. You are speaking straight BS!

I think your point of view and knowledge on the topic is very interesting. Obviously, you have a rather extensive understanding of the subject. However, there is a way to communicate that without being condescending and/or combative. Maybe you could change someone´s perspective if you went about it a different way?

Honestly, that’s not what the research is about. I have no desire to play know-it-all, but seeing as I’ve gone to school for it and actually was a genetics researcher, I am more than happy to explain why that isn’t at all something that would interest geneticists. It is absolutely common to see ethnic groups with traits that aren’t common in other groups. Any freshman biology student would know that. Hopefully, by the time they became a sophomore, they’d also be able to explain to you why geneticists would never call these folks Black. It would be far more correct… Read more »

I stand by my comment since they specifically mentioned a “gene”. Race may not be terribly important to genetics however genes are and that is what they were studying. How this trait was expressed through a different gene. I have a hard time believing that you are at all as well versed in biology/genetics whatever as you claim. I’m also not sure that you aren’t just an internet troll. Since you’ve said nothing constructive and appear to be more interested with getting someone worked up.

LOL, look at her comment AFROKISSES, she is mad because she thinks people are “fawning” over these people, and she feels her nephew is just as special because look he has blond hair and green eyes. Just an example of cultural misorientation, she is so used to people “fawning” over him because of those features she needs to discredit any connection that could be made. And for the record, according to western stands, these people would be classified as black because of the broadness of their nose, skin color, and other traits. Now whether they would be classified as negroid,… Read more »

Right. The study mentioned a GENE. They didn’t mention anything about Melanesians being Black. I don’t come here to talk about my background. I mentioned it, because that’s how I learned this stuff. If think that it’s trolling to explain why calling Asians Black is problematic and breaking down what the study actually said, then that’s your right. I have my perspective and you have yours. I think that the science behind this happens to be rather interesting, especially when it’s understood correctly. If someone gets worked up over something, that has nothing to do with me. I figure that… Read more »

Well clearly bint alshasma, as much as you are calling out everyone and saying they are wrong for calling these people black, you referred to them as Asian which is also completely wrong, It clearly stated in the article that these people are from the Solomon islands which is located northeast of Australia so they fall in the continent of Oceania. But thats besides the point. Amd as far as black goes, thats difficult to define when most people that have dark skin are labeled as black. I think this was an overall interesting article.

Uh, sorry, but no. Here’s some info on them: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austronesian_peoples You might not be able to open it, so here’s a quote: “Genetic studies have been done on the people and related groups.[20] The Haplogroup O1 (Y-DNA)a-M119 genetic marker is frequently detected in Austronesians, as well as some ethnic minorities in China (southern non-Han Chinese).[21] Other genetic markers found in native Austronesian populations are Haplogroup C (Y-DNA) and Haplogroup O3 (Y-DNA).[citation needed]” These people are indeed Asian. Unfortunately, many Black Americans do believe that most of the people in the world with dark skin are labeled Black. This is simply… Read more »

Your right these people are more closely related to Asians, but black doesn’t have to only refer to people of African decent tbh. Lots of people (including the people that came up with the term) just use it to describe people with ‘black skin’ (dark skin ect).

You can’t really talk about race when discussing genes, I think that’s why people are getting confused with all these classifications; a lot of the time how someone looks can have nothing to do with their genetic heritage, hence why people can’t understand why’d you describe these people as Asian.

@ bint alshamsa. I know exactly what you are talking about. I do not have the same education as you, but I knew about this group of people for some time now. They are Asian. A dark-skinned Indian would not dare call themselves “black” no matter how much darker they are than a black person. I agree with you.

Ok you are not a geneticist, lets get that straight. No damn scientist goes to wikipedia when you have access to SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS!!!!! Are freaking kidding me, if you were a scientist, thank the damn universe that you are no longer in the field. A very quick journal search lead me to the following article. If you read the entire article you will see that your logic has been dis-proven. The Polynesian share traits with these people, not because they are descended from them, but because on their way through this country, they interacted and intermingled romantically and this lead… Read more »

You do realize that the actual article isn’t available online, unless you have a subscription to it, right? I posted a wikipedia link, because most people with the internet can access it. However, if you have a subscription to the journal, you don’t need me to send you a link to it. By the way, what do you think it means to descend from a group? The abstract (not an article) you posted isn’t debating whether or not Melanesians are Asian. It’s about Polynesians and how long their ancestors intermingled with other groups in the area before moving on and… Read more »

LOL, anyone else think that “The lady doth protest too much”!!! SMDH, you are not a geneticist, you may have worked in the lab but based on the faulty logic you are using I am certain you didn’t complete a PhD. Your bringing up your degree without specific details concerning this example(Fallacy 1-appeal to authority), the fact that you posted a picture of a child that shares one one of the phenotypes described in the article especially when the phenotype results from a specific gene anomaly which is specific to this group( Fallacy 2,association fallacy) proves enough to make me… Read more »

Oh come on, there is no comparison between your nephew and the picture in this article. Of course it’s not uncommon to see fairer skinned black people with naturally blonde hair and green eyes, especially based on our admixture with Europeans. But, how often do you see someone who looks like the picture in the article with “beautiful dark skin and naturally blonde hair”? Not often at all, hence why scientist feel the need to study the genetics behind it.

Are y’all for real? Good grief! Did y’all even read the study? These are not Black people. Seeing as I actually HAVE been a genetic researcher, I don’t think you’re really in any position to tell me why scientists would be interested in it. It certainly isn’t because some folks think that there is something novel about Black people with blond hair.

I mean REALLY…some people are so ignorant! Where did the correlation between “light skin” come into play. As KJ stated that is nothing new, but this is. And as the article states it has nothing to do with mixing of races it is caused by a specific gene known to only be found in this group of people. I am sure that your nephew and someone in your blood line have traces of European descent. Hence his hair and eye color.

Girl I feel you…in truth “lightskin” came into play because she is not a scientist and is playing like she is, so she sees a trait and goes into her simple minded explanation using western terms, NOT using scientific ones. This chick knows nothing about genetic expression because if she did she would not have even showed a picture of an American. Phenotypes are the outward characteristics of genetic makeup, but just because you see the same phenotype displayed, such as blond hair doesn’t mean that the same gene caused it which is what the article points out and she… Read more »

You do know that blond hair and green eyes didn’t originate with Europeans, right? Almost all Black people in America have traces of European ancestry. However, that doesn’t mean that’s where they acquired the traits for these features.

@bint alshamsa
Cute nephew, but I think the interesting part (or the “big deal”) is that these black people have DARK SKIN AND naturally blonde hair. The fact that some black people have light skin is nothing close to this post, since definitely in north America (slave trade) seeing light skin black people is as old as time…even in certain parts of Africa there are naturally lighter skin black people.

If that is interesting to you, then you probably aren’t where I’m from. My brother is a dark caramel color like the kid in that photo. Yet, his son looks like that.

Furthermore, it’s a big stretch to call these people Black. Well, actually, it’s absolutely incorrect to call them Black. They are not. They are Melanesians. They are no more Black than the folks we call White.

we are all bLACK….we are all White We are ALLLLLLLL! don’t limit your self to skin, yes I love all races, but…dont forget where we all come from…where?….yes…we are all Africa! NO MORE HATE..ooooohhh I can’t wait! 2012!!! lets UNITE…our small differences are beautiful but, in the bIG

u just being silly bint alshamsa… that is a black person… his skin is black making him black… I agree with what Mey and Thoozile r saying… it is a unique situation to see people like the little guy captioned in the article… he is different from ur nephew who, while he is very adorable, is a norm, i have cousins just like that, lite skin lite eyes lite hair and their parents are black people and no they are not albino, their parents are lite skinned as well, black people YES We come in all shades u know… NORMAL…… Read more »

Again it is interesting because it occurs a different gene than the people from european descent and black in america who are all mixed with white. People who have black skin are black. I know in america, for some reasons, you guys use the word black for African American, but black just mean that you are from african descent. FYI, hispanics from the caribbean are blacks too – just with a higher degree of mix than most black american. And at the end of the day we are all human. Stop thinking that white and black are SO different. These… Read more »

oh get over your color and see through skin to the blood pumping gHearts we all have. Comparisons, Jealousy, blame, labeling, Hate carrying…is so Heavy on your soul, you say “Whatever..that is a low frequency , you say Peace and you reach the LIGHT inside Bursting out, shining on all colors…this world is Bigger than your skin..step outside of your skin! … for not realizing we are all One will def give you Gray hair and ailments…Please people OPEN YOUR MIND and know you are a Spirit not just a body! and a spirit has NO COLOR. is any its… Read more »

at Home (here) and Happy (your birth nature) bless you…sorry, tough Love cuz, hate needs to be Checked some times…DING! …sheerrrrr….you hear your heart beating…mine is too, we are together weather you like it or not. my ares are Open for you, please open your its warm and loving. body heat, caring for all & any..no happy , or high talk just HIP and HIGHER thought! step out the shame/blame, wash in the rain again and see we are all different but, all the same! Oh, I almost forgot its, 2012! ….let the past die/rest in peace..and embrace LIFE!…and embrace… Read more »

how many black people do you know with natural blonde hair? and in that texture? please stop being ignorant. it is very fascinating. especially the fact that they have a completely different genetic coding. i find it amazing. God is Good.

Are you really praising god because of her hair colour and texture? genetics is facinating, i’ll give you that but maybe you need to examine why you think god is good simply because her hair is that colour/texture. Alot of black people around the world have variant hair colours. Mine is medium brown. I hate it-doesn’t suit my skin tone. All my life i’ve had people be like “wow is that your natural colour-amazing!” I dye my hair now because I think this glamourisation of percieved non black traits in black people is ridiculous. Genuinely makes me feel sad. That… Read more »

it doesn’t have 200+ views it has 200+ comments and that has nothing to do with black people ‘upholding that traits associated with white people are magical, fascinating and wonderful’, it’s probably more to do with the big discussion this article has generated and the amount of people arguing over different points.

co-sign. ^^this comment is really what it boils down to. and instead of trying to understand this, when you mention it, you’re being aggressive or mean… or whatever other silliness comes of stating an opinion that defies the popular one.

God is good because God creates all of this. Everything. Saying God is good has nothing to do with uplifting white features. It’s about appreciating all the lovliness that God created, period. Again, I’m terribly taken aback by the argumentative nature of these comments.

it’s only amazing to people who are limited to begin with. in your world, this doesn’t exist. so YOU are amazed because you’ve been taught that a) blond hair belongs to one group of people -whites and b) it’s special. the confluence of that makes you believe this is amazing. for them, it’s normal and natural and hopefully nothing to jump up and down about. it just is. i’ve never assumed their blond hair is the result of miscegenation with whites so this is not AMAZING TO ME. unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know these people exist.… Read more »

Your being silly it’s interesting because it’s not something you see every day and the genetics behind it also interesting to read about. It’ has nothing to do with people being ‘taught that a) blond hair belongs to one group of people -whites and b) it’s special’, that’s just the conclusion you’ve come to from reading other peoples comments, without considering the obvious basic fact that things that you don’t see everyday are INTERESTING. Also don’t put others down for not knowing things; it’s perfectly understandable that some people may not know certain facts about the world that doesn’t mean… Read more »

merry stop trying to be white, lol. but in all seriousness, this is exactly how I feel about it. the sooner we catch up mentally to this “hair liberation”, the sooner people will begin to understand the point you’re trying to make. the sooner we can move on to more important issues other than bickering and being fascinated by hair, the better.

This article seems focused on the Europcentric beauty ideal. Like, wow we can have blond hair too! I’m fascinated by the genetics because I love science like nobody but I’m not sure how this relates to black people as a whole. I don’t see it. it’s lovely the Asian girl has blond hair. This is a fascinating visual phenomenom, but lets not forget-this isn’t most of dark skkinned people. Many of us are just learning to love our features/kinky hair types. Lets not deviate from the plan (:

You misread merry’s last comment, and I’m going to have to agree with her. Black people in general need to stop being fascinated by stuff like this. The fact that white or european even needed to be mentioned in this article is a problem for me. as the article, and merry pointed out, their hair has nothing to do with anything white whatsoever and i wish black folk stop putting lighter/brighter features on a pedestal. its really not amazing. its how their hair is, and that’s cool, but i fail to find what’s awe-striking about the simple fact that the… Read more »

Who are you or anyone else to say what anyone should be interested in or fascinated by? I personally find it interesting but I wouldn’t dare tell anyone else what they should do. The comments of people that want to tell ANYONE else what they should think/feel/care about is the ultimate insult to me…..but that’s just my feeling. You, of course, can do whatever you wish.

why is it fascinating? ask yourself that. if the answer has anything to do with white people, then my dear… that’s who i am to say what anyone should be FASCINATED (never used the word interested… you can be interested in genetics, but not fascinated by something as simple as hair) by. but that’s just my feeling… until you get your mind out of the matrix, you’ll continue to be fascinated by basic things. excuse me for trying to help you out, lol. you can do whatever you wish, even if it continues to hinder the true liberation that you… Read more »

You are so passive aggressive and demeaning, it’s sickening.
So, a person finds a trait about his/her race fascinating (yes, fascinating, not interesting, FASCINATING), and you decide to get high-and-mighty and decide BLACK PPL NED 2 STP FNDNG THEIR CULTURE INTERESTING LIGHT AND BRIGHT LIGHT AND BRIGHT.

I really think you need to get your mind out of the matrix. While you’re doing that, I’ll remain fascinated by the more simple, “basic” things in life.